Draft-gear



H. E. VAN DORN.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1919..

Patented June 7, 1921.

s SHEETS-SHEET l.

H.. E. VAN DORN DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2, 1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Ezvz Patented June 7, 1921.

H. E. VAN DORN.

DRAFT GEAR;

APPLICATION FILED SEPLZ; 1919.

H. E. VAN DORN.

DRAFT GEAR. v 'APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2|'1,9"1,9

Patented June 7, 1921.

l 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

H. E. VAN DRN.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FlLEn SEPT.2,1919.

1,380,443.' Patented June 7, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

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umrso stares Paras erica.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented June r, rear.

Application filed September 2, 1919. Serial No. 320,992.

To all 've/icm :it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. VAN Donn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of illinois, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Draft-Gears, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My nvention relates to draft gear devices for railway vehicles of the type in. which the entire draft gear mechanism swings through a comparatively wide angle around a vertical pivot at the inner end and it has for its object to produce a simple and novel construction made up of a few strong, durable parts by means of which the drawbar is effectively supported in. a swinging housing or casing from which latter it may conveniently he removed and replaced as occasion may require. l

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a draft gear 4arranged in accordance with a preferred form of my invention, only a portion of the coupler head being shown;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the front end of the draft gear shown in Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section through the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. @l is a section taken. approximately on line ll-i of Fig. 2, the supporting housing for the drawbar being omitted;

Fig. 5 is a section taken approximatelyV on line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. G is a section taken approximately on line G- of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a seotiontaken. approximately on line 7--7 of Fig. 2; 4

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a fragment of a modified form of draft rigging, only the supporting housing or casing for the drawbar being shown;

Fig. 9 is a section taken approximately on line 9-9 of Fig. 8, the drawbar being shown mainly in plan elevation;

F ig.y 10 is a section taken approximately on line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a section taken approximately on, line 11-11 of Fig. 8; j

Fig. 12 is a section talren approximately on line 12-12 of Fig. 8; and Y Fig. 13 is a section taken approximately on line 13-13 of Fig. 8;

Referring to Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawings, 1 represents a khousing or casing preferably cast integral with the front end of a strong bar, 2, which is adapted to be pivotally connected at its rear end to a suitable fitting on the under side of, a railway vehicle, as indicated at 3. The housing or casing is open at the front end and at the bottom. At its rear end the housing is made abruptly narrower as indicated at 4, so as to provide forwardly-facing shoulders, 5. At the bottom of the housing, just in front of the shoulders 5, areinwardlyand forwardly-extending platforms or ledges, 6. Extending rearwardly from the contractedl portion of the casing or housing is a cylindrical thimble-like part, 7. Near its front end the housing is again abruptly narrowed, as indicated at 8, so as to provide at opposite sides a pair of rearwardly-facing shoulders, 9, parallell with and directed toward the shoulders 5 at the rear end. The contracted part 8 preferably consists of parallel side plates, 10, connected at the top by a semicylindrical roof. The casing or housing is provided with downwardly-extending ears or lugs, 11, on opposite sides thereof just behind the rearwardly-facing shoulders 9. A bolt, 12, is adapted to pass transversely across the bottom of the housing through these ears'or lugs. lA. similar bolt, 13, is adapted to pass transversely through the lower ends of the side plates, 10, of the contracted front end of the housing; the bolt, 13, being in a plane somewhat above the bolt 12.

Within the housing are a pair of cheek plates, 14, lying on opposite sides of the housing and each in engagement with one of the shoulders 9; the cheek plates being supported at their lower ends by the bolt 12 and extending at their upper ends into engagement with the top wall of the housing as best shown in Fig. 6. The cheek plates have a thickness measured traI1S versely of the draft gear equal to the Wieth of the shoulders 9 so that the inner faces of the cheek plates in effect forni continu tions olz the inner side Walls of the contracte front end, 8, of the h using. Each cheer; plate is provided with a rearwardly-proj ing horizontal shelf or hraclret, haii the saaie its upper 'lace lying in le horiffon plane as the upper faces oi'f th r rnis or shoulders7 6, at the rear end oi the housing. Each cheek plate is also j )rrrii4 l at the lower end with :forwardly-proj et plate or fla-nge, 16, through which the ho 13 may pass, as best shown in Fig, 5 'l positively locking the cheek plates a s rocking. The bottom of the housing; o casis closed at the front end hy inea i a saddle, 17, which is just Wide iffh lit between the cheek plates and withi' contracted front end of the housing' holt-s, 12 and 123, lo th passing` Thron saddle and the saddle thus ser y ing device between the cheek plates. front endg 1S, olf' the saddle is pre einade in the forni of section of a cvliiA ener p having the saine axis, `when the par s assembled, as the cylinorieal upper par?` oilA the contracted front end or tie casing housing; so that, when the parts are sembled, the saddle and the upper hall' of' the contracted part, 8, of the housing form approximately a cylinder having its airis alined with the axis of the cylindrical. thirnhle 7 at the rear end of the housing.

lllithin the housingis a drawbar cor prising a cylindrical liront end. a eylii drloal rear end7 21, and an intermedi j portion, 522; the part 20 being seae cylindrical opening' foi-ined here' l. liront end oit the saddle and the. upp

tion of the contr: cted iront end housing, and the cylindrical part in the cylindrical thimble i. upper portion of the housing is rower than the main portion V indicated at 19; the interior Width c; the part 19 being only slightly lgreater 'than the Width of the yoke portion of the r yhar. Extending transrersely through of the drawhar two follower i the rear follower pl Le hearing ae' shoulders. 5. at the rear end oli the and resting; upon the platforms or shelves, 43. While the forward follower plat /restr a .garnet the rear vertie( l edges ot the cheelr p tf and upon the lira vliet-s or shelves. lo, on the cheek plates. A" the points Where the draufliar en- ;aojes with the follower plates it is prei erably provided with bosses, M unich p s init the drairhar to turn readily upon it,F1

longitudinal axis 1elativelj,7 to the follower plates. Suitable springs. Q5 and ranged between the follower nl springs being; under an initio, compression as is usual.

. n.. gg Le@ l. ur, li'ittoin of the and saddle are i the .vhole loe red holts 1Q and heen turned either direction turning;` nioyey is a downigf rear- Y,en at the is spring, Q9,

i which projects lie- Yono .nt it th-o thiinlle. fin lfsl aped lsaeket. 3L is hung at the "ree and of o )ou "zontal pin,

of the drawie latter arm bearing; I and the other arm `vg or rardly so to a rest for a coupler in. on the pin ie cur-iler head may he.

"frein a. position in supp-orteil hy the niay swine' downposition if suiii* yoke., ne erring` to these 'resents a casing or housing in the other arrried on the 'front l? a heavy oaf: or stein. 9 and is open frony and lxttoni sides. The rear ol? Jhe. casing; or housing.; is in thn jorni Y indrieal thiinhle, l1, smaller' in dihan the width the casing` or housto provide forwardly-facing;` against which a rear follower may hear. The front end of the r h using' 1s contracted in Width, as at le so as to provide Vertical l shoulders, 45, parallel toward the shoulders l2 of the .housing l l O ing in the space at each side behind theshouldcrs 45 and adapted to constitute abutments against which a front follower plate, Il?, may bear. The cheek plates are supported by a transverse bolt, 48, correspending to the bolt 12 in the other form of rigging; the bolt 48 passing through ears, 49, arranged at the lower edges of the sides of the housing. A saddle, 50, corresponding to the saddle, 17, in the other form of rigging, closes the bottom of the casing or housing at the front end of the latter; the saddle being supported at its rear end by the bolt, 48, and at its front end by a transverse bolt, 5l, passing through ears, 52, arranged at the sides of the housing in front of the ears llt). The rear end of the saddle serves as a spacer between the cheek plates. The top of the saddle is made concave, being in the forni of a section of a cylinder so that when the parts are assembled the housing has in the front end a substantially cylindrical opening whose axis registers with the axis of the cylindrical thimble, 4l, at the rear end. The drawbar, 53, has a cylindrical front end, 54C, which rests in the cylindrical opening in the front end of the casing or housing. The drawbar is provided with a rearwardly-extending axial stem, 55,

which passes through -a coiled spring, 56, lying between the two follower plates and has on the rear end thereof, beyond the rear follower plate, a cylindrical nut, 57, which lits rotatably into the cylindrical thimble Ll1. As best seen in Fig. 11, the front end of the housing or casing has in the top thereof a longitudinal groove, 58, opening upwardly out of the cylindrical bearing seat, and the drawbar has a longitudinally-extending rearward projection, 59, lying within this groove when the parts are assembled,v but narrower in width than the groove so as to permit the drawbar to turn through a limited angle around its longitudinal axis.

1t will therefore be seen that in this form of my invention, as in the other, the drawbar is supported in cylindrical bearings at the front and rear end so that it may turn freely about its longitudinal axis, while means are provided for limiting the turning movement in either direction from a normal position. Therefore in each form of my invention l overcome an important objection to the so-called rigid type of drawbar by permitting an appreciable turning movement about the longitudinal axis sufficient to relieve the draft rigging from injurious twisting stresses during relative lateral rockin or swaying of cars coupled together.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only al single embodiment of my invention, in two slightly modified forms, l do not desire to be limited to 4the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intendy to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

l claim:

l. ln a draft rigging, an integral housing open at the front end and at the bottom, said housing having a cylindrical seat at the rear end, a removable saddle forming a closure for the bottom of the housing at the front end, said saddle and the overlying portion of the housing forming a cylindrical bearing 'seat co-axial with said cylindrical seat at the rear end of the housing, a drawbar extending into said housing and having cylindrical portions fitting said. seats, and spring mechanism arranged within the housing and serving yieldingly to hold the drawbar against longitudinal movements.

2. In a draft rigging, a bar having a housing formed integral with the front end thereof, said housing being open at the front and at the bottom, said housing having a cylindrical bearing seat at the rear end behind the opening in the bottom, a detachable saddle extending across the bottom of the housing near the front end, said saddle and the overlying portion of the housing forming a cylindrical bearing seat co-arial with the aforesaid seat, a drawbar and spring mechanism adapted to be inserted through the open bottom of said housing, said drawbar having cylindrical portions adapted to ht into said seats when theparts, including the saddle, are assembled.

3. ln a draft rigging, a housing open at the front and at the bottom, said housing having at the rear end a rearwardly-project ing cylindrical thimble, a removable saddle forming a closure for the bottom of the front end of the housing, said saddle and the overlying portion of the housing forming a cylindrical bearing seat co-aXial with the aforesaid thimble, and a drawbar and spring mechanism adapted to be entered into the housing through the open bottom when the saddle is removed, said drawbar having cylindrical portions at the rear end and at the front-end adapted to be seated respectively in said thimble and in said cylindri cal seat.

4. ln a draft rigging, a housing open at the front end and at the bottom, said housing having a rearwardly-projecting cylindrical thimble at the rear end and with shoulders in advance of' said thimble for en gaging with a rear follower plate, said housing having in the front end rearwardlyfacing shoulders, a detachable cheek plate lying behind each of the latter shoulders and in engagement therewith, said cheek plates being removable through the open bottom of the housing, a front follower plate engaging with the rear edges of said 

